Multiple driving-reins.



No. 784,824. PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905. D. S. WILSON.

MULTIPLE DRIVING REINS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

/ uuentor No- '784,824. PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905. D. S. WILSON.

MULTIPLE DRIVING RBINS.

APPLIUATIOH FILED AUG. 30. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.flulllllllllllls 7 Witnesses Patented March 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

DOUGLAS S. IVILSON, OF MOUND BAYOU, MISSISSIPPI.

MULTIPLE DRIVING-REINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,824, dated March14, 1905.

Application filed August 30, 1904. Serial No. 222,693.

To all whm'n, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOUGLAS S. \VILsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mound Bayou, in the county of Bolivar and State ofh/Iississipphhavc invented certain new and useful Improvements inMultiple Driving-Reins, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein similarletters represent similar parts, and in which Figure l is a diagrammaticview of my device, illustrating a three-horse team being guided to theleft. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the same being guided to theright. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the reins with its three leadersattached. Fig. 4 is a detail section view on line a b of Fig. 7, showingthe manner of attaching the leaders to the rein. Fig. 5 isa view of myreins applied to a four-horse team. Fig. 6 is adetail view of mysnap-hook. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the ring-holder with the coverpartly turned back.

The object of my invention is to produce a pair of reins adapted fordriving teams of three or more horses, so that the direction of travelmay be communicated to each animal without subjecting the latter toundue injury because of its teamwork.

It is well known that in ordinary cases where draft-animals are drivenin teams of more than two hitched up side by side the communication toeach animal of the information of the di- -rection in which the driverwishes the team to go is made through a system of multiple reins more orless complicated in construction and cumbersome in management, resultingalmost invariably in unnecessary injury to the animals mouth, and thisis due wholly to the fact that the direction of motion is transmitted tothe mouth of each animal not directly from the hands of the driver, butthrough a bunglesome system of reins andchecks, each of whichintensifies the strain upon the bit applied to the mouth of each animal,so that in the aggregate it practically results in subjecting the mouthof each animal in the team to the sum-total of strain on all the otheranimals. The nature of my invention is intended to minimize thisdifficulty, and this object is accomplished by the particularconstruction of'reins described in the following specification.

Referring now by letter to the details of the drawings, A A representthe driving-reins, to which are connected, by means of theconnecting-ring holder B, the branching reins (J, (previously calledleaders,) which latter are in turn secured to the mouth of the animalsby the bit-rings G. The connecting-ring holder B is composed of twoleather disks secured together by stitching the edges, as shown at I),leaving an open space at front between the two disks, through which theends of the branching reins are passed for engagement with theconnecting-ring 5 through their respective snap-hooks, as shown in Figs.3 and 7. In this latter figure the ring-holder is shown with its topdisk turned back in order to illustrate more clearly the position of thesnap-hooks and the ring by means of which the ring-holder and thebranching reins are held together. This figure also shows at If theadditional stitching by means of which the ring-holder B is secured tothe main drivingreins A A and the manner in which the ring 6 is attachedto the outer end of the main driving-rein A. It will thus be seen thatthe construetion of the ring-holder and the manner of attaching thebranching reins (hereinafter referred to) thereto are adapted to securepositive, direct, and certain transmission of the force of pull from themain driving-rein through the branching reins to the bits. This is adistinct advantage over those structures in which the branching reinsare connected to the main dividing-rein by block or pulley, since in thelatter case the branching reins are apt to slip or become inoperativethrough undue accumulation of dirt or rust, and thus misdirect ormisguide the pull of the driver a circumstance which might at times befraught with serious consequences to driver and team.

The branching reins are arranged in two sets of three each, adaptingthem for use with a three-horse team. One set is connected to the rightdriving-rein A and the other to the left driving-rein A.

The driving-reins, the co1mecting-ring holder, and the branching reinsare all made of leather or similar material. Each of the branching reinshas at its inner end a snaphook c of the usual construction, as shown inFig. 6, by means of which it is fastened to the connecting-ring 1)within the ring-holder 13, while atits outer end each of said branchingreins is provided with an adjListing-buckle d for varying the length ofsaid reins and a snap-hook c for connectionwith the bit-ring C at oneside of the animals mouth. The buckle (Z, the snap-ring c, the bit C,and the headstall and nose-band of the bridle may all be of the usualconstruction.

I In Fig. i is shown in sectional detail the relative position of theupper and lower disks of the ring-holder, the ring, the snap-hook, themain driving-reins, and the branching reins.

E represents the hames on the collars (2, both of ordinary construction.On each side of the hamc E is a guide-ring r, through which thebranching reins are passed to the bit-rings.

The operation of my device is clearly obvious from the detaildescription of the construction of the parts as given above. Speakingspecially with reference to Figs, 1 and 2, it will be seen that the setof branching reins on the left-hand side guides the team to the left.The outer one of said branching reins leads directly and in a straightline from the ringholder B at the outer end of the main driving-rein Athrough the guidering on the left hame to the left bit-ring at theanimals mouth. This driving-rein is held taut to incline the head of theanimal to the left. A similar effect is produced at the left side of themiddle animal through the middle branching rein, which is drawn tautthroughthe right guide-ring on the animal to the left, and, lastly, theright branching rein of the same set is drawn taut against the left sideof the third animal in the team through the guidering won the right sideof the second or middle animal in the team. In this position of thebranching reins referred to it will be seen that each of the branchingreins extending from the right ring-holder B is loose, therebypresenting no resistance to the turn of the animals head in thedirection indicated by the pull on the left-hand set of branching reins.The effect of this arrangement is that by a slight inward pull on theleft-hand drivingrein each of the branching reins will immediately exerta direct pull at the left side of the mouth of the animal to which saidbranching -rein is fastened, and as the branching rein whichconnects'the right bit-ring of each animal with the main driving-rein isheld loosely these right-hand branching reins exert no counter strainwhatever on the animals mouths. By this arrangement the pull is exertedat the mouth of each animal directly from the single branching reinattached at the side in the direction in which the animal is to go andis in no way intensified by the other reins connecting it with the otheranimals of the team.

In Fig. 2 is clearly shown that a pull on the right-hand driving-rein Awill exert the pres sure in the same manner as in Fig. 1, except thatthe right branching reins will be taut, while the left will be loose,thus guiding the team to the right.

In Fig. 5 a similar arrangement of branching reins is shown, with theexception that saidbranching reins are four in number instead of three,adapting them to a four-horse team. If more than four horses arearranged side by side, each additional horse will have an additionalrein, and the alternating arrangement of said branching reins willeffect the guiding of the teams in the manner above described. lVhilethis arrangement of drivingreins is applicable to all teams in which twoor more horses are arranged side by side, as in plowing and otherfarming utilities, it is also applicable to circus and other exhibitionteams, such as chariot-teams and the like. The branching reins C arerendered adjustable in length by the buckles (Z at the outer ends.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. A driving apparatus consisting,in com bination,of main driving-reinsA, A connectingring holders, B, which latter are composed of two.disk-like pieces attached to each other and to the main driving-reins bystitching; ring 6 incloscd in said ring-holder, branching reins (J,provided at each end with snap-hooks for attachment respectively to thering in the ring-holder and to the ring-bit in the animals mouth,whereby the movement of the ringholder is transmitted positively anddirectly to each of the branching reins,all substantially as described.

2. The combination of main driving-reins, connecting rings, ringholders, branching reins, each of the latter being provided withsnap-hooks and buckles, whereby the movement of the ring-holder istransmitted positively and directly to each of the branching reins,guide-rings secured to the hames on the collars, and bitrings secured tothe bits, the arrangement of said parts being such that each of thebranching reins attached to the ring-holder of the left-hand maindrivingrein Will connect directly with the left bitring of each animalin the team, While the branching reins connected to the ring-holder ofthe right-hand main driving-reinis connected directly to the bit-ring atthe right side of each animal in the team, each of the branching ringspassing through its respective guide-ring 0n the hame substantially asdescribed. 10

In testimony whereof Laflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DOUGLAS S. \VILSON. Witnesses:

FRANK A. ANDERSON, WILLIAM HAWKINS.

